A prayer for our earth . . .

World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation - September 1

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.

(Pope Francis/ENCYCLICAL LETTER LAUDATO SI’ ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME)

Feast of Teresa of Calcutta . . .

 

Feast Day - September 5

The Paradoxical Commandments

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

[Reportedly inscribed on the wall of Mother Teresa's children's home in Calcutta, and attributed to her. However, an article in the New York Times reported (March 8, 2002) that the original version of this poem was written by Dr. Kent Keith]

 

Prayer for Labor Day . . .

 

As the sun rises to bring in the new day:

We remember those who descend into the earth, their work begins in darkness, pulling from the earth, the resources we steward.

We remember those who work inside a building away from the light and brightness of the day.

We remember those who work outside in the harsh elements of our world, the bitter cold and sweltering heat of extremes.

We remember those who do not have a job to go to, who are struggling to meet the needs of their daily living expenses, for whom the day becomes long and arduous.

As the sun sets to bring in the evening of rest:

We remember those who work in the night.

We remember those who are trying to recover from their labor and toils of the day.

We remember those who participate in unsafe and dangerous work.

We pray for a renewed sense of dignity in their lives and in their work.

God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the worker. Make a place in our hearts for compassion to the men and women who labor tirelessly for basic necessities. Ensure a place for the men and women who are struggling to find work. Grant us your wisdom to greet and care for those who are unable to work due to illness or circumstances that prevent their participation. Be with the children who are not able to run and play, but instead must put in a hard day’s work to help their family afford to eat, to live. Be with us all, Christ Jesus, as we go about the busyness of our work. Hold us accountable not only for our actions, but most importantly to each of our neighbors. May we continue to work together to bring about your reign! We ask this through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

(Source 2021 -  Basilica  - National Shrine)

Photo by: sjh

The Power of a Whisper . . .

 

Slow me down today, Lord,

and whisper a word or two - or more,

in the quiet of my mind and heart...

 

When I'm cursing myself or others,

whisper words of blessing...

 

When I'm judging another's words and deeds,

whisper words of patience...

 

When my voice is still and silent,

whisper words that I might speak...

 

When I'm saying much too much,

whisper words to shut me up...

 

When I've failed and when I've sinned,

whisper words of pardon...

 

When I'm facing loss and grief,

whisper words of consolation...

 

When I'm stuck in my own foolishness,

whisper words of wisdom...

 

When I'm confounded and confused,

whisper words of counsel...

 

When I'm caught up in my lies,

whisper words of truth.

 

When life is just too tough to take,

whisper words of hope...

 

When my heart is broken, hurt and wounded,

whisper words of healing...

 

When I'm at war with my neighbor or myself,

whisper words of peace...

 

Slow me down, Lord,

and help me find a quiet place to hear

the whisper of your word...

 

Slow me down today, Lord,

and whisper a word or two - or more,

in the quiet of my mind and heart...

 

Amen.

 

- Rev. Austin Fleming

https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinfleming

Monica - Widow, Saint and more!!

 

 

Once upon a time, I read an obituary of a woman religious in the Archdiocesan paper. What was provided about her 81 years of life was: her name, dates of birth and death, religious community in which she was a member, dates of first profession and final profession, and States in which she ministered.  I was fortunate to have directed her on a retreat. Her story of faithfulness was not mentioned. I felt a little twinge of emptiness inside. However, I’m sure her story of faithfulness probably was shared again and again at her wake service and funeral.

I felt the same sort of empty twinge when I first began to reflect on the readings about the life of St. Monica (331-387).  As I came upon the feast of St. Monica in the Calendar of Saints, I was somewhat stunned to read the following in the listing with her name, she is described as simply, WIDOW. Here, too, her story of faithfulness is not mentioned. So I did a lengthy search on the internet. As I considered this initial description, I soon asked myself, “Isn't there more?” Monica lived into her late 50’s – quite uncommon for those days. As I continued to read about her life, I discovered that she had a very full life.  I was sure that if she had lived today, she certainly would have more descriptors than just - Widow.

We celebrate Monica on August 27th – a Christian, a woman, a daughter-in-law, a woman of authentic voice, a woman of fortitude, a visionary and dreamer, a woman of integrity, a woman of long suffering, a patient and prayerful wife, a faithful mother, and widow.

She was born of Christian parents in North Africa, yet they arranged her marriage to a non-Christian. Patricius was a pagan man with a violent temper and unfaithful to her as a husband. It is written that he never beat her, but we know psychological abuse can leave “scars” as well. Her mother-in-law also lived with them, and she was verbally abusive to Monica. However, Monica was patient with them and prayed for their openness to be received into the Christian faith. Through her prayers and her kindness, eventually her husband and his mother became Christians.  And it is written that they remained very respectful of Monica’s generosity to the poor, her deep faith, and constant prayer life. When she was at the age of 40, her husband died, leaving her a widow.  

They had three children, of whom the eldest was Augustine.  He was brilliant, likeable, a talented scholar, and also a source of constant worry for her. At age 17, he left home for the wild life, and lived recklessly taking on the truth and ideals of the heresies of his day. He was particularly troubled by the mystery of evil. Eventually, after 18 years of prayers and fasting for her son’s conversion, he was baptized. Shortly thereafter, Monica died.  

As Joan Chittister once remarked, “The good news is that great women have always walked the earth; that their footprints are still clear; that their presence has changed things both in the Church and society.” 

And so today, (Aug. 27) Monica – your life made a difference in the faith of your husband, mother-in-law, children, and especially in the life of your son, Augustine.  Your life has made a difference in the lives of so many people throughout the centuries – for you are considered patroness of troubled parents, battered wives, despondent mothers, widows, and alcoholics. May the words from Thessalonians honor you today: “The news of your faith in God is celebrated everywhere – We call to mind how you proved your faith by your actions, laboring in love, and showing constancy of hope in Christ Jesus.”
We thank you, Monica, woman, Christian, wife, mother, faith-filled pray-er, widow, and Saint.

August 28, 2022: Mary Lou Bozza Preaches for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary...

The Courage to be Myself . . .

 

I have the courage to . . .

Embrace my strengths ~

Get excited about life ~ Enjoy giving

and receiving love ~ Face and transform

my fears ~ Ask for help and support

when I need it ~

Spring free of the Superwoman Trap~

Trust myself ~ Make my own decisions

and choices ~ Befriend myself ~ Complete

unfinished business ~ Realize that I have

emotional and practical rights ~

Talk as nicely to myself

as I do to my plants ~ Communicate

lovingly with understanding as my goal ~

Honor my own needs ~

Give myself credit for my accomplishments ~

Love the little girl within me ~

Overcome my addiction to approval ~

Grant myself permission to play ~

Quit being a Responsibility Sponge ~

Feel all of my feelings and act on them

appropriately ~ Nurture others because

I want to, not because I have to ~

Choose what is right for me ~ Insist on being

paid fairly for what I do ~

Set limits and boundaries and stick by them ~

Say “yes” only when I really mean it ~

Have realistic expectations ~ Take risks and

accept change ~ Grow through challenges ~

Be totally honest with myself ~

Correct erroneous beliefs and assumptions ~

Respect my vulnerabilities ~

Heal old and current wounds ~

Savor the mystery of Spirit ~

Wave good-bye to guilt ~ Plant “flower,”

not “weed” thoughts in my mind ~

Treat myself with respect and teach others

to do the same ~

Fill my cup first, then nourish

others from the overflow ~

Own my own excellence ~

Plan for the future but live

in the present ~ Value my

intuition and wisdom ~ Know that I am

lovable ~ Celebrate the differences between

women and men ~ Develop healthy,

supportive relationships ~

Make forgiveness a priority ~

Accept myself just as I am now ~

Author Unknown

Grace in Chaos

Walking from Chaos to Calm . . .

 

Blessing in the Chaos

To all that is chaotic
in you,
let there come silence.

Let there be
a calming
of the clamoring,
a stilling
of the voices that
have laid their claim
on you,
that have made their
home in you,

that go with you
even to the
holy places
but will not
let you rest,
will not let you
hear your life
with wholeness
or feel the grace
that fashioned you.

Let what distracts you
cease.
Let what divides you
cease.
Let there come an end
to what diminishes
and demeans,
and let depart
all that keeps you
in its cage.

Let there be
an opening
into the quiet
that lies beneath
the chaos,
where you find
the peace
you did not think
possible
and see what shimmers
within the storm.

      –Jan Richardson

 http://www.janrichardson.com/index.htmlichardson.com 

Assumption ponderings. . .

  

 

Feast of the Assumption of Mary
August 15

 

 

GOSPEL LK 1:39-56
Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.”
Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.

The Song
When a woman in a certain African tribe knows she is pregnant, she goes out into the wilderness with a few friends and together they pray and meditate until they hear the song of the child. They recognize that every soul has its own vibration that expresses its unique flavor and purpose. When the women attune to the song, they sing it out loud. Then they return to the tribe and teach it to everyone else. When the child is born, the community gathers and sings the child's song to him or her.
Later, when the child enters education, the village gathers and chants the child's song. When the child passes through the initiation to adulthood, the people again come together and sing. At the time of marriage, the person hears his or her song. Finally, when the soul is about to pass from this world, the family and friends gather at the person's bed, just as they did at their birth, and they sing the person to the next life. (Internet)

Today, our Gospel of Luke so fittingly presents to us the Women of the Song.  Their meeting is a prototype of a liturgy of Word and Bread. There is meeting, greeting, blessing, and sharing of the nourishment of their wisdom, wonder, and awe of what God has done for them.

Mary goes with haste and enters the house of Zachariah and greets Elizabeth. Elizabeth, no longer barren, is filled with a child who dances with joy at the recognition of the Word enfleshed within Mary. Elizabeth is bursting with a sense of the holy and sings a song of blessing upon Mary.

In response to Elizabeth’s greeting, Mary proclaims a song of liberation for all people.  Her song is revolutionary and is the first proclamation of justice in the New Testament. 

These women, who stand pregnant in an embrace of joy, laughter, and praise for God’s marvels, will give birth to children of the Song . . . Mary’s Magnificat!

These children in turn will one day stand together and sing their new song that would be revolutionary as well.  John will sing his song of justice and repentance, daring the people to prepare the way for the Messiah.  His voice will ring out like “thunder in the desert.”

Jesus, son of Mary, will hear his song in the desert as well. He will claim his purpose to be Mission, Messiah, and Beloved. He will be Bread for the hungry, the marginalized, and the oppressed. His song of the Beatitudes will break through to the hearts of the “least, the last, and the lost."

Certainly, the faith, trust, courage, and strength of Mary’s witness is most especially captured in her song of praise, the Magnificat –

Truly, the NT does not present a meek, fragile woman, lacking creativity and initiative.  It reveals a strong, upright woman who put her free will at the disposal of God’s dream for her. This is what the feast of the Assumption celebrates; that because God will never be outdone in fidelity and generosity, God remained utterly faithful to Mary through death, as she was unreservedly faithful to God in life.

So today, as we gather around this table to continue to sing Mary’s song for all generations . . .  we ask, how can this feast speak to us?
I have chosen to respond to this question with a selection from Soul Sisters by Edwina Gateley, who reflects upon this Gospel . . .

“Blessed Mary! Blessed are you!
Bearer of hope for the world.
Co-creator . . .....graced by divine mystery . . .
Ah, Mary! How your soul sang with fullness and gratitude. . .
Affirmed, loved and comforted,
You stayed with Elizabeth,
Absorbing the experience and the wisdom
of the older woman,
deepening in your own resolve
to nurture, hold
and mother God.
Your journey has blessed ours, Mary.
Your Yes dares us
to believe in the impossible,
to embrace the unknown,
and to expect the breaking through of mystery
onto our bleak and level horizons.
The words you heard, Mary,
we will forever remember.
We will not be afraid,
for the life that you birthed
will not be extinguished
in our souls.”

Just for today . . .

O God, we pray this day:

for all who have a song they cannot sing,

for all who have a burden they cannot bear,

for all who live in chains they cannot break,

for all who wander homeless and cannot return,

for those who are sick and for those who tend them,

for those who wait for loved ones and wait in vain,

for those who live in hunger

and for those who will not share their bread,

for those who are misunderstood,

and for those who misunderstand,

for those who are captives and for those who are captors,

for those whose words of love are locked within their hearts

and for those who yearn to hear those words.

Have mercy upon these, O God.  

Have mercy upon us all.

                                                  

(Ann Weems  (d. 2016)/ Soul Weavings)

August 15, 2022: Kerry Robinson Preaches for the Solemnity of the Assump...

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081522.cfm

August 14, 2021: Karen Seaborn Preaches for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary ...

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081422.cfm

Feast of St. Clare . . .

 

Gaze upon Him,

Consider Him,

Contemplate Him,

Imitate Him . . .

Words of Clare to Agnes of Prague

Feast of St. Clare, August 11

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clare_of_Assisi#:~:text=

Following%20her%20death%2C%20the%20order,day%20is%20on%2011%20August.

Image from site of Franciscans Conventual

Artist Unknown . . .

Prayer of St. Dominic

 

·       May God the Father who made us bless us. 

May God the Son send his healing among us.

May God the Holy Spirit move within us and give us

eyes to see with, 

ears to hear with,

and hands that God’s work might be done. 

May we walk with God and preach the Word of God to all. 

 May the angel of peace watch over us and lead us at

last by God’s grace to the kingdom.  Amen.

 

 

God of every moment . . .

 

 

G

od is there in these moments of rest and can give us in a 

single instant exactly what we need.  Then the rest of the day

 can take its course, under the same effort and strain, perhaps,

 but in peace.  And when night comes, and you look back over the day

and see how fragmentary everything has been, and how much you

 planned that has gone undone. . . just take everything exactly as it is, 

put it in God’s hands and leave it with God.  Then you will be able to 

rest in God ~ really rest ~ and start the next day as a new life.

St. Teresa Benedict of the Cross (Edith Stein)

Feast Day August 9

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Stein

Photo by Doris Klein, CSA

For the Gift of Today . . .

 

 

Gracious God,
thank you for the gift of today.
Refresh me . . . Invite me . . .
to discover Your Presence in each person
that I meet, and every event encountered.

Teach me when to speak and when to listen,
when to ponder and when to share.
In moments of challenge and decision attune my
heart to the whisperings of Your Wisdom.

As I undertake ordinary and unnoticed tasks,
gift me with simple Joy.
When my day goes well, may I rejoice!
When it grows difficult
surprise me with new possibilities.

When life is overwhelming
call me to Sabbath moments
to restore Your Peace and Harmony.
May my living today
reveal your goodness.
Amen.

(Author Unknown)

A Prayer for Tired Spirits . . .

O God, help us to feel you; Help us to know how precious we are to you, that we might become at least half so precious to ourselves. 

Move with us, according to your desire. Ease our hearts, melt our harsh edges so that we might sense how intimate you truly are.

Guide us, God in an ever more complete embrace of you, that we might bear more of your endless embrace of us, and thereby embrace ourselves.

Keep alive within us, O God, your most precious gift to us which is our burning, longing, wordless yearning for you. Grant to us the courage and the vulnerability and the dignity to claim our hunger for you in every moment, celebrating, in each instant the pain and delight of our longing.

Touch us beneath our will, opening us where we cannot open ourselves, healing us where we cannot heal ourselves.

And, in the vibrant mystery of your Spirit within us, accept our eternal gratitude for every act of goodness that comes to us from another, for every nourishing way that souls may touch each other, for every bit of love we share, and for the wonder, the tender laughing touching calling beautiful wonder.

Gerald May

 

 

Photos courtesy of Sister Doris Klein, CSA

Blue Planet...(beautiful nature)...music Igor Krutoi

August 7, 2022: Jackie Minnock Preaches for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary ...